Unhappy Refrain
by NutsAndBees
Summary: My first attempt at a Marble Hornets fanfic. *Song lyrics used along the lines are by Nano


_A rifle and a telecaster, a chain of words that sound unhappy_

Deep within the woods, a young, rather thin and pale man runs in panic. His breath was running short, and so was his time. Yet he still held the camera in hand, recording his frantic running, trying to run; trying to escape.

His camera was now screeching and cackling loudly with static. He had to find a way out soon. But even one second later than that could be fatal.

 _Alone I walk throughout this lonely town, do you hate the digital sound that I make?_

"Tim!" he shouted out to his only comrade in a half-broken voice. He knew he should've listened when he told him not to go back alone. But he was too determined for that; too stubborn.

He coughed severely yet again. This time it was far worse than before. The more time he spent in this forest, the lesser and lesser his chances of getting out alive became.

 _Fitting every puzzle into place, lost but there's no way to start over_

"Jay!"

From another side of the forest, a rather stocky and tired young man yelled desperately for his missing friend.

He was angry, but that didn't matter for now. He saw the hooded man's message, and he will not lose another person to this looping madness.

 _Wish that I could say goodbye to these days, I've been waiting for someone to take me back home_

Tim called out louder, running faster and deeper into the woods. Whether or not he would find a way back out is something he would worry about later after he finds his friend.

 _If_ he can find him. Still alive, that is.

Fear was circulating throughout his entire body, and time was something he had no power over. But there was someone or some _thing_ that had. And it's also the same thing that he's racing against.

 _Lose the way, everyday, wandering in circles_

Jay was getting tired. But he was exhausted from the start.

For a moment, he was going to accept his fate. He raised his camera with a trembling hand and turned it to face him.

"Tim, I'm sorry. I-I... I should've listened and—" he paused, taking a deep breath and looking at his surroundings for a brief moment.

"I've been wandering around these woods for what feels like _hours_ already, and the way back... I can't find the way back—it's like the trails—the layout of the forest changed. Everything is all wrong, everything is all wrong..." he finished, biting his lips to hold back the tears forming in his eyes.

 _Tell me how, show me how to erase my past mistakes_

He was terrified. Beyond terrified. He should have never messed with things he didn't know about; things that were not of this world.

Just then, he heard the sound of crunching footsteps against the leaf-covered ground.

 _A rifle and a telecaster, a lack of words feeling unlucky_

He turned around, almost flinching at the thought of what his eyes would meet.

But instead of imminent white death, he saw a familiar face.

"Alex...?"

Standing across Jay was another young man in glasses, staring back at him with a blank expression.

The two didn't say a word to each other for a bit, and as Jay was about to speak, the other took something out of his pocket, and raised a gun in Jay's direction.

 _Knock out, this is game over_

With a horrified expression and camera still in hand, Jay tried calling out to the old friend he once knew.

"Alex!"

But a shot was fired. And as easy as that, Jay was pierced with a bullet, and the old friend he once sought walked off without another thought.

 _They're watching you as you fall to the ground_

Tim heard the gunshot. And it was what immediately sent his heart sinking.

"Jay!" He yelled out louder in a cracked voice, and tears were ready to fall at the rim of his eyes.

He ran as fast as he could, repeatedly shouting out the name of the one who he once despised, but was now one of the last things he held on to.

 _Catch your feet again and again, this will be the very last time_

Jay's vision was starting to blur. He was hunched against a tree, blood on his hand and a hole on his stomach.

But as his consciousness started to falter, he heard his name being shouted not too far away.

It was Tim.

"T-Tim! Tim, I'm here!" Jay tried to yell with his wading strength. He felt hopeful, but doubt and death were no strangers to this situation.

Jay tried yelling more, but with each trial, he got weaker and weaker.

Suddenly, just as he was about to give up, his eyes slowing to a close, he felt a presence near him.

 _I see this, I see this, as that I'm lucky, I'd replay the thirty-nine seconds in my head_

"Jay!" Tim was on his knees and gripped the half-conscious other's shoulder.

"Come on, stay with me buddy!" Tim told Jay, his tone an equal mix of worry and hope.

 _And they say that, they say that, they say I'm happy, but I couldn't ever really be satisfied with that_

Tim carefully but hastily helped Jay get up to his feet.

"Come on Jay, hold on," he told Jay in a gentle and earnest voice.

The two then started to walk, Tim supporting Jay, and the former trying his best to walk in a pace that would somehow be slow enough for the other to keep up, but still somehow fast enough for Jay to still be alive when they get out.

If ever they _do_ get out.

 _I'm counting, I'm counting, the sounds in my head_

Tim tried scanning for a pathway back, but his mind was a complete mess. There was panic and fear and paranoia creeping up everywhere, and Jay wasn't getting any better either.

Even if Tim could still retrace his path, there was no guarantee that the forest and its keeper would allow them to leave so easily.

 _It's an endless loop without a beginning or an end_

Just then, a hooded figure appeared before the two. It was the same hooded man as before, wearing a black mask with red eyes and frown.

Tim got into a defensive composition on impulse, but the hooded man just turned his back on them and started walking. And when he was a few meters away, he looked back, facing the two as if he was waiting.

Tim was confused, and he didn't trust the hooded man a bit, but Jay's life was hanging by a thin thread. So he reluctantly followed the other, only hoping for the best outcome.

After a while, Jay's breathing was getting heavy, but Tim was starting to recognize his surroundings more, and as they came to a clearing, Tim stopped and scanned his surroundings.

They were back at the entrance. And the hooded man was gone.

But that didn't matter now, what was important is that they were going to be okay. They were going to be fine.

"Okay, hang on just a little bit more Jay! You're going to be fine, you're going to be fine, I promise," Tim said under his breath, quickly trying to guide Jay out and towards his car.

 _And it means, it means, there is no meaning_

When they finally managed to get into Tim's car, Jay suddenly started coughing again. And a ringing noise was penetrating his ears.

Tim's eyes widened in fear, and started coughing himself. He cussed under his breath as he frantically started the car.

And the last thing Jay saw was a tall, faceless man in a suit looking at them from a few meters away.

 _It's time to take a leap together once again_


End file.
